Why Attend Industry Events and Tradeshows
Are you searching for ways to get your products or services seen by more people? Do you want to be seen as a leader in your industry? If so, then attending industry events or tradeshows is a great tactic to add to your marketing strategy! In this blog, we’ve outlined the top five reasons to not only be at industry events and tradeshows but also how to get the most engagement and generate leads!
In addition, this blog has tips for B2B and B2C brands in the outdoor industry, however, the tips could also be applied to clean tech, renewables, automotive, you name it!
Finding Success at Tradeshows When You’re a Small Brand or Startup
While you probably already know about the big B2B industry shows like CES, Outdoor Retailer, EuroBike, and SEMA there are dozens more! These events are a great place to network, however, if you’re a small startup brand, the steep exhibitor fees could be a major deterrent.
Well, we can help! At Top Rope Media we attend dozens of industry events, tradeshows, conferences, and festivals each year. Some for B2B clients, B2C clients, and others because it’s a great networking opportunity, or it’s just fun! And as a small business seeking B2B clients, we have to be smart when it comes to planning our conference schedule, event activations, and follow-up. So, let’s get started with real marketing strategies you can begin using at your next tradeshow!
When setting up your booth or table at a tradeshow, what do you have to draw people in? Freebies with your logos on them like this table at Connect’s Innovation Day are great, but do you have an interactive booth? Is it staffed by someone engaging? Read below for more ideas on event activations!
Successful Marketing Strategies for Industry Events and Tradeshows
Here are our tried and true marketing strategies for industry events and tradeshows. Not all will be applicable to your product or service, but we’ve packed this with lots of different ideas. Find a few and test them out at your next tradeshow booth!
1. Use the Tradeshow App
Before we get too far in, keep in mind that many tradeshows and industry events now have apps or an exhibitor/vendor portal you can access. These are often free to download to your phone, and easy to use. Common tradeshow apps like Whova, or an official app created for your particular show may allow for the following:
- Scheduling or requesting meetings
- Connecting with brands or buyers before you arrive
- Access to vendor/exhibitor list
- Scheduling a happy hour, demo, or talk at your booth
- Promoting your giveaways or meet n’ greets
- Syncing with social media to allow for easy posting
At Connect San Diego’s Innovation Day, we had the chance to speak with some amazing people whom we would never have met if we were stuck in a booth all day!
2. Shake Hands and Kiss Babies
While often a trademark statement saved for politicians, ‘shaking hands and kissing babies’ is how to garner not only more attention for your brand but also to be seen as a leader in your field. When I show up at an outdoor event or tradeshow, I’m not there to drop business cards in a fishbowl, grab a free beer, and roll out. I go to learn about new products, make connections, practice my pitch, and find new clients. Oh and check up on my competition!
As a small business owner seeking B2B clients, my marketing budget is tiny! I need to be careful about which outdoor industry events and tradeshows I attend. Going to shows like Outdoor Retailer is a huge chunk of change. As a small startup, you may have the same challenges. Therefore, for your next tradeshow, try the following:
- Set up meetings ahead of the show- use that tradeshow app!
- Make connections with potential customers and remember to follow up right after the show
- Spend time walking the tradeshow floor and speaking with potential customers
- Practice your pitch! Tradeshows are a great place to try out different ways of describing what problem your product or service solves
- Bring a team member or several to help you staff the booth
Bringing a few team members to your next tradeshow could be a great way to better connect with your team, give them the opportunity to pitch your product, or just create more brand awareness at the show!
For big tradeshows, do you have team members not only to staff your booth but also to walk the tradeshow floor and interact with other brands? When we attended Interbike for Zoca, an apparel brand, we had a team of people in the booth, wearing their apparel, walking the tradeshow floor, handing out freebies, and inviting people to visit the Zoca booth! And we got to hang with cycling celebs like Ted King!
3. Create Engaging Brand or Event Activations at Tradeshows
While you might love the buzz of the tradeshow floor, exhibiting at an outdoor industry event or tradeshow should involve more than simply standing at a table with a logoed tablecloth. Instead, create a fun, memorable opportunity to engage with potential customers. We call this a brand activation or event activation.
Sadly, we see both B2B and B2C clients leave the event activation for the last minute. Instead, plan ahead! First, make sure your branding is dialed in, your website is ready for visitors, and you can capture leads. Not sure what we mean by this? Read our last blog, How to Use Your Website to Generate Leads now!
Once you’re ready with your branding and website, move on to brainstorming fun ideas you could try at your booth. Remember to generate buzz on social media before, during, and after the show. And encourage user-generated content from attendees! Below are some of our favorite event activations that you could try at your next event.
Brand Activations or Event Activations Ideas:
- A big wheel that people can spin to win your products or fun, branded items
- A game or guess the (fill in the blank) to win a discount on products or services
- Create a daily booth giveaway, winners must be in attendance!
- Set up a photo booth or video testimonial booth, complete with fun hats, glasses, and wigs themed to match your brand!
- Set up a free charging station…you know everyone’s phones and laptops run out of juice!
- Bring in an industry celebrity and host a Meet n’ Greet or book signing!
- Host a product or service demo a few times a day!
Remember to use the tradeshow app and social media to advertise your event activation. And always have a way to collect those email addresses! In order to do this, we recommend clients have 1-2 iPads at their booth in stands, or on the table. On the iPad, have your conference-specific landing page for the show up on the screen. Then someone can easily enter their email, scan a QR code, or sign up for your next product demo at the show!
In addition, these iPad stations allow those who are more introverted to interact with your brand without having to start up a conversation.
You can easily set up a photo or video booth using a tripod with an iPad/phone. Bring a nice backdrop with your logo. Bonus if you can incorporate your products in the photo! In order to seamlessly collect emails, and have guests share their photos on social, use a photo booth app like LumaBooth, Simple Booth Halo, or Unsnapped.
4. Build Community and Bond with Your Team
For both B2B and B2C brands, there are many conferences and tradeshows that involve cavernous convention centers. Or a crappy night’s sleep in a subpar hotel in less-than-desirable locales. So instead of filling your marketing calendar with these lackluster events, find events and tradeshows in locations you actually want to travel to! We like to take this one step further and find tradeshows and events that allow us to camp, ride bikes, or ski. In addition, can you invite some of your team members and make it fun for everyone?
The goal here is to connect with a community of people who share the same passions as you do. Maybe it’s creating more sustainable products or reducing carbon emissions. Or selling more bikes. Either way, there are dozens of B2B and B2C tradeshows that allow you to network with business leaders or consumers who share your vision. In addition, being in a beautiful location where you can plan some fun activities outside the tradeshow will help you better connect with your team, and your partners, or allow potential clients to learn more about you!
If you haven’t read our last blog: The Best Tradeshows in the Outdoor Industry bookmark it for later! And if you are thinking about driving to one of these tradeshows, before you hop in the car, check out our road trip checklist!
With food, beer, live music, and bikes, the stoke is high at the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival in Arizona! It’s also not a bad drive from SoCal, and team members were able to fly into Phoenix if need be. In addition, getting to spend time outdoors at a tradeshow or work event will definitely make the day go by faster!
5. Apply to Be a Speaker and Be Seen as a Leader in Your Industry
At shows like CES or Outdoor Retailer, you often need to set up meetings in advance to get some face time with a company founder, sales director, or procurement officer. Forget about trying to walk into Patagonia’s or Tesla’s booth to speak with a decision-maker. Therefore, in addition to attending and/or having a tradeshow booth, and using the tradeshow app to set up meetings, apply to be a speaker! This allows you to reach a greater audience. And garner some press coverage or user-generated content!
If you haven’t read our latest blog on Speaking at Conferences: Why You Should Apply to be a Speaker, bookmark it for later! Remember, if you’re speaking, make it memorable. Do not just go up there and pitch your product or service. Let it be interactive and engaging!
If you do get an opportunity to present, make sure to have someone there to record it and take photos. This allows you to share on social media, as a follow-up to attendees, or those who signed up for your email newsletter at your booth!
Can you apply to be a speaker at the next conference or tradeshow you plan to attend? If you get the spot, how will you make your talk memorable? Here are more tips on how and why to present at conferences!
6. Give Out Free Food, Beer + Puppy Time at Your Next Industry Event
One thing we’ve noticed at tradeshows was the opportunity to sample coffee, beer, pizza, and pet puppies, all while learning about a new product or service. While these may not always help you generate leads or collect email addresses, they will help you generate brand awareness. And give you the opportunity to have conversations with lots of people!
Trying to score a beer during happy hour can be challenging, but it can also make your booth the most popular one on the block! Therefore, if serving beer or pouring craft cocktails is of interest, check the show regulations first. Each state or convention center may have different rules about what you can serve and who can serve it. Often you need to use their bartenders and/or catering services.
However, as it’s often a big expense to distribute alcohol, we always have a long list of ideas for our B2B and B2C clients to drive traffic to their booth!
Therapy dogs are not a new thing, but we see these pups pop up at more and more events like here at Connect’s Innovation Day. And I bet the number of dogs that get name badges for the OR Show is close to 100!
Here are a few more low-cost ideas to create a buzz at your tradeshow booth:
- Hire a barista and set up an espresso machine for the morning crew. You know how hard it is to find a decent cup of coffee!
- Fill your booth with music, bring in a guitarist or performer.
- Everyone loves puppies! Check the show regulations and see if there are therapy dogs available nearby.
- Puppies are great, but our favorite booth at Outdoor Retailer was filled with Uinta Alpacas!
- Give out free donuts or snacks! Tradeshow attendees are always hungry and never have time to go out for lunch!
- Host a happy hour at a bar/restaurant just outside the convention center, especially if you’re not exhibiting!
Consider the location, the season, and the show attendees, and then create something memorable! Brainstorm with your team on things that might keep a tradeshow attendee energized and engaged. And in your booth longer. A cellphone or laptop charging station is definitely a big winner if you’re in the cleantech or renewables industry. What if it’s a solar or bike-powered charging station?!?
Our favorite booth at a recent Outdoor Retailer was Paka, a clothing brand that makes soft goods out of alpaca wool. And of course, having 2 alpacas and their handlers on loan from Uinta Alpacas in Willard, UT kept the booth busy all day long!
Final Thoughts on Attending Industry Events and Tradeshows
People may not remember what you said at the tradeshow when they met you, but instead how you made them feel. Well, when I’m happily fed, with a good beer in hand and some music, or petting your therapy dogs, I’m feeling pretty good. And I’m more likely to remember your brand and give you my email address. And open your email when it appears in my inbox next week! (Hint: Don’t forget about the follow-up!!)
To learn more about what we do on the regular, follow Top Rope Media’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Remember to check out the following blogs:
- The Best Tradeshows in the Outdoor Industry to Grow Your Brand
- Speaking at Conferences: Why You Should Apply to Be a Speaker
- Using Your Website to Generate Leads
Or click to view all of our marketing blogs!
Until next time, enjoy the reason we work in this industry and get outside!
– Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media